#NewsBytesExplainer: Bollywood, Tollywood, Sandalwood—understanding India's sprawling film industries
India's unrivaled, ubiquitous diversity seeps into every aspect of our lives, and for a country that lives, breathes, and thrives on cinema, how can our film industries be any different? The nation boasts not one but multiple industries distinguished by languages, and while Bollywood or Hindi cinema may remain the most prominent, acknowledged, and widely noticeable one, others aren't far behind. Let's dissect.
Bollywood put country on global map
The most affluent, extravagant, and well-developed fraternity teeming with seemingly endless resources, Bollywood is the biggest film industry in the country and has been churning out hundreds of movies each year for a century. Numerous leading Hindi actors such as Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have bridged the gap to Hollywood, while others like Shah Rukh Khan have become synonymous with the nation.
Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh, Jassie Gill belong to Pollywood
Punjabi cinema, also known as Pollywood, is usually centered around romantic and comedy films, with the plots often being set in rural Punjab or foreign locations such as Canada and parts of Europe. Some of the most well-known Punjabi films are Angrej, Qismat, Carry on Jatta, and Qissa, while Diljit Dosanjh, Gippy Grewal, and Jassie Gill, among others, spearhead the industry.
Tollywood
Tollywood might be slightly confusing since it refers to two fraternities—the one that produces Telugu films and the one that makes Bengali films. The Telugu one has an evident edge, particularly due to raging successes such as the Golden Globe-nominated RRR, the monstrously successful Baahubali franchise, Pushpa: The Rise, Eega, and Mahanati, among others. SS Rajamouli is currently one of the top Tollywood directors.
Kollywood
The Tamil film industry, known for its grandeur, high-octane action sequences, and cult following, is best identified due to actors such as Suriya, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Vikram, Vijay Sethupathi, Dhanush, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Nayanthara, among others. Some recent Tamil films that have wreaked havoc at the box office are Vikram, Vikram Vedha, Kaithi, Asuran, Singham, I, Beast, Ponniyin Selvan I, Darbar, and Bigil.
Mollywood
Mollywood is a term primarily used to define Malayalam cinema and has been popularized by movies such as Vanaprastham, Drishyam, Maheshinte Prathikaaram, Angamaly Diaries, Pranchiyettan and the Saint, Perumazhakkalam, and Chithram, among many others. Love, Irul, Jana Gana Mana, Minnal Murali, Vaashi, Kappela, and Ariyippu are some recent Malayalam films streaming on Netflix. Prithviraj Sukumaran, Mammootty, Fahadh Faasil, and Mohanlal are some leading actors.
Sandalwood
Kollywood, or the Kannada film industry, has ceased to be shrouded in oblivion and has catapulted to the centerstage, thanks to projects such as the KGF franchise and Vikrant Rona. They are acclaimed for being profoundly rooted in traditional culture. Sudeep, late actor Puneeth Rajkumar, and Prakash Raj are some cynosures of Kollywood and have facilitated Kannada movies' popularity at the national level.
